Sectionalizing cutting machine



Feb. 13, 1951 w. E, URscHEL E TAL 2,541,180

SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINE:

Filed Sept. l1, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 13, 1951 w. E. URscHEl. ET AL 2,541,180

SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINE Filed Sept. l1, 1947 5 Sheets-Shea?l 2 Feb. 13, 1951 w. E. URscHEL Er AL 2,541,180

SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINE Filed Sept ll, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 13, 1951 w, E, URSCHEL ET AL 2,541,180

SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINE Filed Sept. ll, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Feb 13, 1951 w. E. URscHEL. Er A1. 2,541,180

SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINE Filed Sept. ll, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 JNVENToRs.

Patented Feb. 13, 1951 `UNITE. STATES OFFICE SECTIONALIZING CUTTING MACHINEl William E. Urschel, Joc R; Urschel, andGerald W. Urschel, Valparaiso, Ind.;- said Joe R. Urschel administrator of. said`- William 'E.

Urschel, deceased 2 Claims.

This invention hasto dolwith appara-tusior sectionalizing cuttable material by slicing vand cutting operations into discreet particles of predetermined shape. The invention, in some respects, is an improvementv upon the apparatus disclosed in our copending applicationserial No. 573,242, filed January 17,1945,` which became PatentlNo. 2,465,670 on March 29, 1949, for Sectionalizing Cutting Machine, particularly in the elimination of a conveyor belt for transporting sliced material from a slicing mechanism to strip-cutting and ldicing instrumentalities and the substitution for suchbelt of a stripecutting block ofwhich an extending' portion slidably receives f sliced material directly from the slicingmechanism. A` compressing andfeeding roller iscooperable with the extending portion of the strip-cutting block instead of with a conveyor belt as in the machine of said copending application.

An important object '.oi the invention is the provision of an improved machinecapable" of dicing cuttableA material such as..V potatoes, carrots and other fruit andA vegetable articles having body. thickness, and=whereiri sectionsof the machineV for. performingsuccessive cuttingoperations upontheimate'rial are closely associated into `an `integrated unit.

A further object is the provision in. a sectionalizing cutting. machine of a slicing. apparatus which Vforms. slices oficuttablematerial and discharges the saine downwardly*l tbge'tloer Witlia cutting block having afguiding surface extending downwardly.l from'.` the zone' at. which. the sliced material 1 issues liront .the slicingY apparatus and so disposedrthat.the` downwardly projected. slices slideidownwardly along suclrsuriace, there being rotatableI knives cooperable with the cutting block for cuttingthe downwardly traveling slices into strips, and a compressing and feeding roller structureidisposedbetween said knives and the slicing-apparatus for coinpressingthe. sliced niaterial against` said guide face and rotatable for feeding theisli'ced material between the. knives andthe cutting block. This downwardV extending arrangement of the cutting block guide face takes advantageof gravitationalforceior augmenting that of the compressing and feeding roller structure in causing continued motion of the sliced material in the downward direction initiated by theslicing apparatus. Any tendency for the material sliding over the guideface ofv thev cutting block to adhere thereto `and to clog the machine `is =thus virtually eliminated.

` IA* furtherobject `isthe provision of parallel downwardly extending ribs upon the guide `face of the cutting block, which further diminish any tendency forthe sliding material to adhere to such surface, thereby adapting the machine to slice, cut into strips-and Vcube meat as well as iruit or vegetable articles having body thickness.

`Still another object is the* provision oi acarriage `mounting for the strip-cutting and dicing sections oilthe machine whereby such sections may .be conveniently separated fromy the slicing section thereoto facilitate'servicingfand clean-A ing of the' machine elements'.v

The above and.` other.' `desirablel objects innere ent in and encompassed-by the.invention' will be. better understood from 'the' ensuing specincation and the annexed drawingswherein apre-- ierred formfof` the invention isfshown.

`In the.'drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective elevational View of an illustrative embodiment of. the` invention,1 the machine being illustrated With'its carriagelor strip-cutting and dicing instrumentalities: swung out o'f cooperative relation with the slicing appau ratusto expose certain of the machine elements.

IFig. 2.is. arplanview of: the-machine with the carriage" swung into position for placing the strip-cutting instrumentalities into cooperation withthev slicing section of the machine.. This View also `shows a hopper which is omitted from the View -inv Fig. 11 to expose a rotor chamber which receives slidable articles -irom .such hopper.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the machine substantially on the.. plane indicated by. theline 3 in Fig. 2.

Fig.. 4.is airagmentary perspective view showing details of the cutting block, the-compressing roller structure and a bank of circular knives cooperable with such block, the dicing instrumentality and support means for these parts.

Fig.. 5 is an elevational view of the machine taken onthe plane indicated by the line 5 5 in Fig; 2.

Themode of operation of the machine can be generally understood ironia brief initial reieiw ence to Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Cuttable material or articles are introduced into a rotor chamber II having a cylindrical wall I Zhaving a hinged portionwlB vswung slightly radially outwardly at a hinged connection I4 to form a dischargeopening I5... Said material is rotated about the inner periphery of the cylindrical wall-Iin theY direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. S'by' means of paddles I6 extendingbetween end plates Il and I Sofa rotor. A-'shaft`jl9 extending through, an

end wall of the chamber I I supports the' rotor' by means of its end plate I'I, the shaft i9 being the drive shaft of therotor which is constrained for Yrotation therewith.

An upper edge portion of a disk knife 2| projects upwardly slightly beyondV and adjacently to the lower edge of the opening i5. This kniie Y is clamped to a drive head 22 by means of a cir-V cular clamp plate 23 and cap screws 24 of which one is shown in Fig. 3.

A shaft 25 with which the drive head 22 is constrained for rotation causes rotation of the disk knife 2|. Those portions of the cuttable material swept circumferentially about the chamber wall i2 and projecting radially of the chamber beyond the upper edge portion of the slicingY ,ingdownwardly beyond a receiving edge 29 Y thereof.' v

VDownwardlyV precipitated sliced material is thus fed between the guide face 21 of the cutting 4 Y hat face resting upon and secured to the upper fiat face Vof the table top 53.

Also constrained for rotation with the shaftY 53 is a sprocket 59 which has its hub rotatively secured to said shaft by a pin 6|. Sprocketr drives a chain 52 which is also trained over pulleys 63 and 54. Pulley G3 is drive-connected with an end .portion of the rotor shaft I9 which is journaled in a bushing 55 anchored within one of the bores, 55, of the bracket 51. This journal member 55 is constrained against rotation and has an end flange 51, visible in Fig. 2, which has an end wall 53 of the cuttable material receiving chamber secured thereto by cap screws 69.

The sprocket 64 which is driven by the chainj E2 has a hub 1| rotatively fixed to a shaft 12 by a pin 13, and this shaft 12 is journaled within a bushingy 14Y anchored within a bore 15 ofthe block and a compressing roller structure 5| which Y is caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow thereon in Fig. V3. This rotating compressing roller structure thus cooperates with the cuttingblock face in'advancingthe material downwardly into the bight between a bank of disk slicing knives 32 and a'section' of VVthe cutting block face having respective knife-receiving grooves 33 for edge portions of respective of the knives. The knives 32 are Ycaused to rotate in the direction of the arrow thereon Vin Fig. 3 and thus cooperate with the cutting block in cutting the Ysliced material into strips and discharging these strips downwardly past a discharge edge 34 of the cutting block face into the path of dicing knives 35 revolved by adicing knife rotor 36 in the direc@V tion of the arrow onsu'ch rotor in Fig. 3. These knives 35 progressively cut end portions from the stripsas they are projected endwise downwardlyV from the stripcutting knives 32 and theseend portions which are thus severed from the str-ips` in the shape of cubes are discharged'downwardly through a chute Y31 and outwardly through a bottom end opening 38 thereof intoV a receptacle or i onto a conveyor (neither ofY which is shown) as,

desired. A stripper plate or bar 39 has fingers 3| meshedwith the bank of knives'32 for presenting a deecting surface i2 in opposed spaced relation with respectto the face 21 of the cutting block for positively stripping the strips of material frornbetween thestrip-cutting knives'and insuring endwise discharge of the strips into the path of the revolved dicing knives 35.

' Proceeding now to the details of the machine, a Y i table-like frame for the support thereof comeV prises a top 43 with three upright supporting legs 55, i5 and 45. AV driving motor'M for the' movable parts of the machine is suitably suspended from the underside cf the tabletop 53. v

In Fig. 5 there can be seen a double grooved pulley s1 which is Yconstrained for rotation with the motor armature shaft @3. Power is transmitted from the pulley 51 through belts 55 and 5@ Yto a larger double grooved pulley 5|; see Figs. 5

and 2. A hub 52 of the pulley VV5| is driveconnected to a shaft 53 by a pin 55. This shaft is journaled in a bushing 55 which is anchored in a receiving bore 55 thereforY in a Ymulti-boredbraeket 57i' having'a bottomportion with a the tube |03.V JA slit: |08 `interet)llrlcotsthese bores multi-bored bracket 51. OneV end of the bushing 14 extends into a gear case 16 where it is secured byV split-collar clamp 11 exteriorly of said gear case. One end of the shaft 12 projects beyond Ythe gear case end of the bushing 'I4 and into said casing where the hub'of a beveled gear 18 is pinned to said shaft at 19; seerFigsr. 2 and 3. Gear 13 meshes with a companion gear 8| which is keyedrto the slicing knife drive shaft 25 at 82.

Shaft 25 extends through a tubular housing 5?, Fig. 3, wherein its right end portion is supported'by a bearing unit 84. A reduced diameter left end portion of said shaft 25, Fig. 3, is rotatively carried by the inner race of a ball bearing unit35 of which the outer race is carried within the bore of a threaded cartridge VVof which the threads mesh with a threaded bore 81 in an end wall of the gear case 1S. Said inner race of Ythe ball bearing unit 85'is clamped Yon the reduced `end portion 88 Yof the shaftV 25 between a nut fio 1 end wall I8 and through which sliceable material.

89 and a shoulder 9| of such shaft so that axial `movement of the cartridge andV hence of said.

Ybearingunit' causes endwise adjustment of the Vshaft 25. This endwise adjustment of the slicingV knife drive shaft regulates the position of the upper edge'portion of said knife lrelatively to the chamber opening |5 Vto Vcontrol the thickness of slices into which the cuttable material is cut, and such endwise adjustment of the shaft is ac-V complished by rotating thecartridge 86 within Y the threaded bore 81.

Y Further adjustment of slice thickness isfaccomplished by radial adjustment of the hinged chamber wall Yportion I3, and this adjustment is maintained by tighteningV a nut V$32V uponfa Y threadedrshank 93 carried by an arm y94.V

. In Fig. 1 an opening 95 is shown in the rotor is introduceable intothe rotor'chamber. That portion of the table top 43 exposed in Fig. 1 sup- 'Y ports a hopper o'shown in Fig;2. This hopper has anupstanding perimetric wall 91 and a bottom wall 98 which slopes downwardly toward the rotor end wall opening 95 for discharging4 through 'such opening into the rotor chamber'. An opening (not shown) inthe perimetric wal1r91 regis Yters with'the rotor wall opening Q5,` and arspout (not shown) is preferably provided for projecting Y from the hopper bottom wall 98 through the open-V ing 95a short distance.

A swingable frame |0| supports the slitting and-Y dicing instrumentalities. This frame comprises a- Y pair of vertically spacedtubes |52 and V|53 which extend between and interconnect` frame end .piecesv |04 andV |95. The frame end piece I 04v has a bore |06 for the tube |02 and a bore |91 for r ageing-rec' |06` and=|01fas an `expedient for clamping `the circular walls of the `borestightly-ontocthe tubes |92fand||l3 whena setscrewIS passing through a bridge l at oneside ofthe slit istightened for drawingthis bridge towardthe main body oftheV end piece. asimilar` construction is provided in the end-piece |35, the slit lcorresponding to the slit |538 being shown in Fig; l. Pivotal support for-theframe |9| is providedby hinge members |I2 and |I3 which are pivotally connected by a-yertical hinge pin ||4`. Hinge member ||3 hasl a flanged footing I 5connected by cap screws I It with an end of the bracket 51. Hingemember'1||2 has apair of vertically spaced bores |1 which respectively receive and ytightly gripend portions of `the Aframe tubes -||)2: and |33;

Whenfthe machineis setup for operation, the frame 'IGI will be securedfor supporting the parts thereonin the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3. Such securement ofthe pivoted frame is accomplished bygear housing complements H3 and i I9, Fig. `2, having vertical opposed faces |2| and |22 held together by thumb screws |23 which pass through apertured bosses |.24in the housing complement i9 and screw into threaded apertures in projections |25 and |26 of the gear housing complement H8. When the frame is clamped in the operative position, a gear |21 which is coaxial with and zdrives the bank of slitting knives 32, mesheswith and is driven by a gear |23 `which is mounted upon an end ofthe shaft 53 and constrained :forrotation therewith. Gear |21 is constrained for rotation with and drives a shaft |29 which extends between the two frame members |94 and |95 and has opposite end portions respectively journaled therein. This shaft |29 carries the disk knives 32 which have central openings through which said shaft extends and which are axially separated by annular members |3|; see Fig. 4. These disk knives 32 and the spacing members |3| therebetween are constrained for rotation with the shaft 29. The end of the shaft |29 exposed in Fig. l mounts a gear |3| which is constrained for rotation therewith and this gear is meshed with a pinion |32 which is mounted on and drives a shaft |33 which extends between and is journaled in the swingable frame and members |04 and |95. The carrier 36 for the dicing knives 35 is mounted on the shaft |33 with which it is constrained for rotation. Driving means for the feed roller structure 3| comprises a chain i 34, Figs. 2 and 5, which is trained over a sprocket |35 on the gear driven shaft |29 and a sprocket |33 which is constrained for rotation with a shaft |31, Figs. 3 and 4 which extends between and is journaled in the frame end plates I |14 and |95. A series of axially ribbed annuluses |38, Figs. 3 and s, are constrained for rotation with the shaft |31 and are held in axially spaced relation by annular spacer members |33 disposed therebetween. The axial ribs on the circular outer peripheries of the annulus members I 39 are designated le! and the ribs on these members are in axial alignment. The members |38 thus assembled on the shaft |31 with the spacing members |39 form a circumferentially ribbed compressing roller or roller structure i whereon each of the circumferential ribs respectively formed by the members |38 are the axially extending ribs I4I. The chain |34 drive connecting the compressing roller structure and the bank of slitting knives, cause these assemblies to rotate in the same direction illustrated by the arrows in Fig. 3.

The end plates |04 and |05 of the hinged carriage |0I in addition Ito beingconnected .by the tubular members I 96 and A|01 are connected -by and support Athe stripperbar 39. Furtherreen* forcement of the frame -is provided by the cuttinglblock F23 which is sccuredbetween the two end plates |94` and I|i5`by means of bolts |42 which are visible in Fig. l. The cutting block 28 constitutes a species of slice orientating and guiding structurehaving a guide surface of e1ongated laterally-spaced portions |43 (riblike) for contactwith the'broad flat faces of materiall slices to support and guide them. The elongated surface portions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, are arranged `in substantial parallelism with a median line extending between the upper receiving edge andthe lower discharge edge of said guide face.

Further reenforcement for the swingable frame ||i| is provided by a rod I 44 extending between and having oppositeend portions clamped in receptive bosses `|45 and |46 therefor upon said end plates. This rod |44 provides support for the deflecting plate structure 23 which is secured tothe rod by cap screws |45.

The strip cutting and dicing instrumentalities are so disposed with respect to the rotor chamber II that the force of gravity augments the down force imparted to the slices as `theyare discharged through the chamber wall `opening I5. These discharged slices are precipitated downwardly through the throat formed between the delecting plate 2t and the upper portion of the disk knife'2i and are thusfdirected into the bight between the cutting block guide face and the periphery of the cylindrical compressing and feeding roller structure 3|. Since this roller structure is caused to rotate in the direction of the arrow thereon in Fig. 3, the downwardly moving sliced material is caused to continue its down ward sliding movement along the cutting block face 21. The circumferentially spaced ribs I 4| on the axially spaced circumferential ribs |38 of the feeding and compressing roller structure are adapted to bite into the surface of the sliced material for increasing the traction of the roller structure therewith and thereby augmenting the positiveness with which the material is caused to advance downwardly. By providing the ribs |43 on the surface of the cutting block in close relation to the cylindrical periphery of the compressing roller structure, the tendency for the sliced material to adhere to such surface of the cutting block is diminished, thereby adapting the machine to operate upon substances such as meat having greater inherent tendencies to adhere to surfaces contacted thereby than do fruit and vegetable articles from which juices having lubrieating characteristics are exuded.

The flat slices of the material thus fed downn wardly between the bank of knives 32 and the cutting block 28 are cut into strips as these knives, rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow thereon in Fig. 3, tend to progress the material downwardly. Strips thus formed of the sliced material are deflected from between the axially spaced disk knives 32 by the stripping lingers 4| and directed between the opposed cutting block face and the faces 42 upon said stripping ngers into the path of the revolving dicing knives 35 which cut the strips of material into pieces of desired length, usually of a length to form cubes.

By loosening the thumb screws |23 and removing the same from the threaded apertures therefor in the bosses |25 and |25, Fig. 1, the gear housing component I|9 may be separated from the component 8 incident to the swinging of the frame i0i and the instrumentalities thereon into a position as they are illustrated in Fig. l.

VThis outward swinging of the frame lill about the axis of the vertical hinge pin H4, Fig. 2, demeshes the gears |27 and |28 as illustrated in Fig. 1. While the frame IUI is swung outwardly in this manner the parts thereon are made more accessible for cleaning and servicing as are the parts from which they are thus Vseparated on the table top.A

8' Y Y compressing said slices and advancing them through the throat, a bank of circular axiallyspaced knives rotatable about an axis in parallel'- ism with the compressing roller at the outlet side of saidthroat, edge portions of said knives being disposed in cooperative cutting relation with a portion of the guide surface to cut the slices into Y strips as such slices issue from theoutlet side of Having thus described a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention with the view of clearly and concisely illustrating the same without incurring limitations respecting structural Vdepartures which will become apparent to those skilled in the art and embraced within the scope' of the invention,

We claim: f

Vl. In a sectionalizing cutting machine, a slice orientating and guidingV structure having a guide surface of elongated laterally-spaced portions for contact with broad faces of material slices to support and guide them, a circumferentially ribbed compressing roller arranged transversely of said guide surfaces and contiguously thereto to cooperate therewith in forming a material receiving throat having aninlet side and an outlet side,

slicing mechanism forY slicing cuttable material and having a discharge section from which'slices of such material are discharged in succession into contact with said guide surface contiguouslyV to the inlet side of said throat, means for rotating the roller to cooperate with the guide surface in REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this llrziatent: 1

UNITED STATES PATENTSY Number Name Y Date 1,271,868 Dunn July 9, 1918 2,126,361 Urschel et al Aug. 9, 1938 2,242,557 Urschel et al. May 20, 1941V 2,349,212 Urschel et al. May 16, 1944 2,465,670 Urschel et al Mar. 29, 1949 

